Animalia
Siberian Tiger (Panthera Tigris Altaica) Also known as Amur, Altaic tiger. This subspecies of tiger once ranged throughout most of Asia, and even as north as Alaska. Physical Characteristics Siberian Tigers are the largest of the big cat family, and have been recorded to weigh over 700 pounds. Siberian Tigers shed their coats to adapt to the season. In the summer, they have a considerably lighter and thinner coat, while in the winter, the coat is more dense. In general, Siberian Tigers have adapted to the harsh Siberian winter with a thick coat of fur and an insulating layer of fat, especially around under the belly. Habitat Siberian Tigers, like its name, lives in Siberia, Russia. Although they used to live in a much wide spread area across central and northeastern asia, it is now very limited to the extreme cold environment of Siberia, where there is not as much human interaction. However, they have adapted quite well to this environment, because the space is a lot more open, which allows them to mark territories and roam more easily. Reproduction and life cycle Siberians Tigers can reproduce year round, and in general a tigress will produce a litter of 2 - 6 cubs. The cubs will start roaming near their den at around 3 - 5 months, and in one year, they can hunt small sized preys such as rabbits. and by the age of 3, cubs will start to leave the family and in search for their own territories. Dietary Habits Siberian Tigers Focuses on large games such as Deers, Elks, etc. but they also eat many other smaller prey such as squirrels. Bears are also hunted by tigers, and the two species would often kill each others cubs. In most cases however Tigers avoid humans, and only in extremely rare cases do tigers ever attack humans. Unlike other species of the big cat families, tigers rarely hunt in a pack, and most mature males prefers to hunt alone. They use stealth to sneak up on their prey, and pounces on their prey, sinks their fangs in to its neck, and thus killing the prey. White Tigers White Siberian tigers are a very rare occurance in nature, most white tigers in the world are purposely engineered for their fur to become white, due to popular demands from zoos. However white tigers in general are more bigger, prone to disease, and usually die at a younger age, but besides these deficiencies, white tigers are essentially the same from a normal tiger. White tigers are not to be confused with Albino tigers who are completely white and without stripe marks on the. Conservation The Siberian Tigers, like most other subspecies of tigers are endangered animals, out of the original 8 subspecies, 3 has already went extinct, and within the past century, the majority of the tigers has been killed, and now only a small population remains, but is under many protection programs. Video thumb|left|300px|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rAbCpgAOII References Siberian Tigers. National Geographic. Retrieved November 10, 2010, from http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/siberian-tiger/ Siberian tiger. Wikipedia - The free encyclopedia. Retrieved November 11, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siberian_tiger Siberian Tigers. Of Cats - Resource of everything feline. Retrieved November 11, 2010, from http://www.ofcats.com/2008/05/siberian-tiger.html